Darkness over Pride Rock
by dorizard
Summary: My first fanfic. After the outlanders and pridelanders union, kovu and kiara will become the next monarchs. But when an unexpected lion arrives, followed by an entire pride the whole plan is changed and the view of pride rock darkens...
1. Death, and Hope

Chapter one:

Dusk fell and the Pridelands briefly glowed gold with the setting sun, before starting their slow plunge into darkness. Pride Rock stood strong and magnificent on the horizon, and one dark lion padded out of the cave, looking over the savannah with his green eyes filled with worry.

It was Kovu, and he spent several minutes thinking about what had happened and what was about to happen. Earlier on, soon after one of the hunting groups took advantage of the cooler weather and went out hunting, Kiara had gone into labour. They fetched Rafiki as quick as possible, and were now waiting for results.

"Kovu? Is everything ok?" Came a gentle voice from behind him. Kovu jumped and turned to see Simba coming calmly towards him, red mane blowing slightly in the breeze.

Kovu sighed. "No, not everything," He replied. "Thing is, well, for almost all my life I've been trained to- you know, and take over the Pridelands, but I was never taught about how to actually _rule _a kingdom, or have a family. I mean, what do I do? What if I fail? How will the other animals see me, as an outlander? Will I be a good father?"

Simba listened wisely to his son in law's problems, then nodded, giving him his answers.

"Kovu, you're not an outlander, you're one of us now. The animals will have suspicions at first, but soon, if you're open minded, understand everyone's point of view, and don't use force most of the time, they'll gain trust in you. Also, you've seen a family, and you're part of one. You'll know what to do when the time comes."

These words and Simba's ever calm and gentle way of saying them reassured Kovu, and a smile spread across his face. At that moment, a voice from inside the cave beckoned them in, but Simba and Kovu were too excited to realise the graveness of it.

"It'll be fine." said Simba cheerfully, his heart hammering as they walked into the cave.

But for once he wasn't entirely right.

As soon as the two lions walked in, they were hit by the atmosphere inside, then confused and bewildered by the sight in front of them. Kiara lay limp on the floor, sobbing slightly, with Rafiki kneeling down beside her, his back to the lions and his head bent low. Nala was also standing beside her daughter, trying to comfort her though her face was also tear-stained.

"What happened?" Asked Simba, concern flitting through his eyes.

"I'm sorry Simba, I don't know what went wrong, we lost two of the cubs." Replied Rafiki, turning to reveal that he was cradling what seemed like two un-moving bundles of fur. Silence fell like a blanket of snow.

"Is Kiara ok?" Asked Kovu, barely breaking the silence with his shaking voice.

"She's fine, but exhausted and miserable. I'm sorry, you two."

"Don't be, at least one survived." Replied Simba, nuzzling another tiny cub that was lying near Kiara, though he felt that the bad news hadn't ended yet.

"That's the thing, I'm afraid he's too weak. He can't even get up to his mother. I'm so sorry, but there is such a small chance that he'll survive much longer."

"Oh Simba...our grandchildren..." Whispered Nala, coming to Simba for comfort, as Kovu wordlessly took over from her the job of being by Kiara. She soon stopped sobbing, but everyone was grieving deeply inside.

"Are you sure?" Murmered Simba.

"It's a one in a thousand chance that he'll survive..." Replied Rafiki, wiping his forehead.

Nobody ate the meat that the hunting group had come back with. They felt like a bright light had been wiped away just before it reached them.

After a while, when most of the lionesses were asleep, the cub doomed to die sleeping next to his mother,(Rafiki had had to place him there himself.) Simba looked up to see Kovu creeping out of the cave. He hadn't seen that Simba had noticed him slip away. Sympathetic and not very sleepy himself, Simba quietly tiptoed out of the cave.

He found Kovu sitting on a rock not far from Pride Rock, gazing with un focused eyes at the sky. For the first time in a long time, Simba didn't know how to approach someone.

"Stars are hiding today, huh?" He said gently.

"Please, stop talking like that, everything's gone wrong. Everything. Already. What if it's a sign?" Replied the dark lion, not turning his head towards Simba. Once again he was asking questions, but it was clear he didn't want them answered.

"Sometimes...things like this happen. You just have to be strong. Are you ok?" Simba didn't know why he found himself asking such a silly question.

"Yeah, fine" He obviously wasn't telling the truth.

" 'Cos if you need any-"

"I SAID I WAS FINE, SIMBA!"

This took Simba by surprise, and for a few moments they stood staring at each other, both surprised of what had happened.

"Sorry," Muttered Kovu, walking away. "But I need some time alone."

Simba stood there, shivering in the wind as he watched the departing black figure, getting lost in the darkness. Simba actually partly understood his son in law, for he had also lost a child many years ago. But Kopa wasn't as young when he died. He still had the chance to live, to give his parents happiness and the feeling of innocence again.

But now his daughter and son in law's chance to get that feeling was crushed, and just when they needed it, after the incident with Zira and all. But what about the other cub? What if he survived? Simba thought this over, thinking what joy it would bring, but then painfully remembered Rafiki's words. What did it feel like to know that your only surviving child is going to die too? Simba shivered at the thought. He couldn't imagine what they were going through.

But he _could_ survive, Simba told himself, only to block out that hope again. Rafiki was barely ever wrong, the kid had only a one in a thousand chance of surviving.

But despite everyone's heavy doubts, Chaka won that chance.


	2. The strange lion

**Just adding more chapters I've done already…**

**Chapter 2:**

"Mum! Hey mum!" yelled Chaka excitedly, running over to Kiara, who was sunning herself on a rock with Nala and Timira, her friend. "Mum! Guess what we did!"

"Hm, I wonder what?" Asked Kiara, propping herself up and nuzzling her son.

"We raced to the waterhole but we bumped into a leopard! Then he chased us all around but in the end he gave up 'cos we were too fast! He said so himself!"

"Are you sure he didn't just let you get away?" asked Timira, an amused glint in her eye.

"Well… I don't think so…"

Nala smiled. "You must have had to ditch the dodo to do that!"

Chaka tried not to look guilty. "Well, we just thought he needed a break, you know…his feathers are turning all grey!"

The lionesses laughed, each knew Zazu as a cub.

"C'mere, you little smart-alic!" laughed Kiara, grabbing Chaka by the scruff on his neck. "Looks like after all that running around you got dirty!" And she began to lick him clean.

"Ok mum, but please hurry up! The others are waiting near the pond by that big boulder! And, is there any food? I'm hungry!"

"Not yet, sweetie, auntie Vitani and the rest haven't come back yet."

"Oh, ok. Ouch! Muuum! Watch the mane!"

Soon, Chaka was clean and he ran off to play with his friends: Tiza, (Daughter of Dotti, an ex-outlander) Koda, (Iza's son, Iza was Dotti's sister) Shana, (Kula's youngest daughter. Kula was a friend of Nala's since cubhood.) And Zara, (Daughter of Razina, a pridelander about Kiara's age.)

For a moment the lionesses gazed after Chaka, not believing that he was the cub that everyone thought was going to die. He had stayed alive for a week, and then Rafiki announced that he was strong enough to live after all. The traditional presentation of the heir to the throne took place a little later than usual, but it was done nonetheless, and all the animals rejoiced over the young cub, as well as the pride, who felt as if the light that seemed to have left them was just blocked out by the clouds, and had now shone through again. Sadly, Sarafina and Sarabi died shortly after, but they knew that they were happy now, especially Sarabi, who was finally united with her mate. They all looked on proudly after Chaka.

"Hey guys! What 'ya doing?" Said Chaka cheerfully, bounding over to the other cubs by the pond.

"Sh! What does it look like, genius?" Replied Koda, who was lying low to the floor, hidden by the tall grass. The others were doing the same, except Zara, who was chasing a bird up a tree a little further off. Then Chaka realised what they were doing; they were trying to catch a frog or two, as the large pond was full of them.

"Can I catch one?" He whispered, tiptoeing over next to Shana.

"Yeah, sure." She replied. "But be very quiet!"

A hunter's grin spreading across his face, Chaka found a large frog sitting on a small rock, right by the water's edge. He crouched down in the grass, lay low to the ground, crept forward…and…

SNAP!

Everyone jumped as a branch on the tree above them snapped, and Zara fell, yelling as she toppled down and splashed into the pond, soaking everyone. The frogs yelped and jumped back into the pond.

"Nice work, Zara, look what you did!" Said Koda agitatedly, leaping to the edge of the pond as Zara surfaced, spitting out water.

"Oh come on, I just stepped on a slightly thinner branch!" groaned Zara, swimming back to shore.

"Couldn't even climb a tree properly?" snickered Tiza, and they all burst out laughing.

"Very funny (!)" Said Zara sarcastically, coming out of the water and shaking her wet sides.

"Are you ok?" asked Chaka, even though he was giggling himself.

"I'm fine, ok? But it wasn't funny!"

"No, you're right," Said Koda, forcing on a serious face. "It was VERY funny!" And everyone burst out into fits of laughter again. Even Zara smiled in spite of herself, but she wasn't letting him get away that easily.

She took him by surprise and knocked him straight into the water!

"HEY!" He yelled, pulling her down too. They then splashed each other happily in the pond, and the other three laughed and jumped in themselves.

Soon they all got hungry and crawled out of the pond, beginning their walk back home. The hunting group should have come back by now, and hopefully they were successful.

"What was that?" asked Zara, pausing suddenly and looking hard at a clump of trees, her ears twitching.

"I'm sure it was just a snapping branch. Maybe we should go and have a look; a lost cub may have fallen out!" chuckled Tiza, walking on with her cousin. In a second she was leapt on by Zara, and the two tumbled on together, pinning each other down playfully. The rest joined in too, and Chaka found himself against Koda. But Koda was older than him, and already had a tuft of mane growing on his head, and pinned him down easily.

Without noticing, they all tumbled through the bushes and down into a ditch, where they lay in a heap on top of each other.

"Oof, get off me!" Came a muffled voice from somewhere underneath. They all got up and began to climb up. Chaka may not be good at fighting, but he loved climbing, and quickly got to the top. But just as he parted the bushes, he saw something that made him freeze in surprise and fear.

"What is it?" asked Shana, getting up next to him.

"Shhh!" he whispered. "Look!"

They peered out to see a lion with golden fur and a red-ish brown mane. They could have mistaken him for Simba at first, but with a closer look they saw that the lion looked quite different. Infact, as the rest of the cubs poked their heads out a bit and stared, they realised that they had never seen this lion before, and a sudden fear took place inside them. After a while, he padded away, getting lost amongst the trees and bushes.

"Told you I'd heard something!" whispered Zara, but fell quiet again, thinking about what this all meant. All of the cubs had been told that unknown lions could be dangerous, and that they had to tell someone in the pride if they saw one.

After a while, the cubs crept out and then, once they were sure that the lion was gone, ran straight for Pride Rock. They were running so fast that they crashed straight into Tama and Kula, both friends of Nala since cubhood.

"There you are! Where were you?" said Kula, smiling at the sight of the cubs.

"At the pond, mama!" said Shana, relieved to see them. "But we're not that late, why were you looking for us?"

"Well…" smiled Tama, turning to Chaka. "I've got some good news; you're a big brother now, Chaka!"

For a moment, Chaka stood there, taking in this information as the other cubs stared at him. Then he jumped up. "A big brother?! Wow! Why didn't anyone tell me before?!" he cheered, as his friends congratulated him.

"Your parents wanted it to be a surprise." Beamed Kula, though she and Tama knew that it was also because they didn't want another disappointment, a sadness for the two cubs that died at birth still hung around. "Do you want to see them then?" she asked, starting to walk towards Pride Rock.

"Alright!" Said Chaka excitedly, running ahead of them with the other cubs.

As soon as they reached Pride Rock, Timira, who had been waiting outside the cave for them, bounded forward.

"Mum!" She yelled, coming up to Tama and nuzzling her. "They're two girls! They're beautiful! Come inside!"

This time the scene in the cave was as it should have been: the two proud parents and grandparents gazing at the new-borns, with the rest of the pride forming a circle around them, including Timon and Pumbaa, who were soaking Zazu with tears of happiness. Chaka bounded straight to them.

"Mummy! Daddy!"

"There you are, Chaka! Come and look at your sisters!" smiled Kiara, licking the tiny cubs. As the new arrivals looked at the cubs and wondered over names joyfully, Vitani came up to her half-brother.

"Congratulations Kovu, you've finally got some girls in your family!" She said, and Kovu answered with a smile, then asked Kiara something.

"So what are their names?"

Kiara beamed. "I'd like to call this one Arina, but what about this one?" She licked the other cub, that had a darker pelt than its siblings.

"Hmm…" Kovu wondered.

"What about Kazia?" asked Chaka, looking up at them with his green eyes.

"Kazia…I like it."

"Kazia it is then."

Chaka suddenly remembered another newcomer he had seen earlier.

"Grandpa?"

"Hm?"

"We saw a strange lion earlier on, he looked like you! Are there anymore lions in the Pridelands?"

Simba frowned. "No, are you sure you saw one?"

"Yeah, we saw him too, sir!" said Koda.

Simba looked towards Kovu. He thought that a rogue in the Pridelands was a great opportunity to train him to be ruler. "I'll look around later, do you want to come, Kovu?" He knew that he may want to spend more time with his family at the moment.

Kovu shrugged. "Fine, ok."

_Not yet though,_ thought Simba, bending down to see the cubs again. _They need to enjoy their family first. _After all, their first time didn't go exactly to plan.


	3. The return

**Chapter 3:**

Two days later, Simba and Kovu went for a patrol around the Prideland borders, searching for the lion that the cubs had seen. After a few hours of searching, they stopped at a large tree.

"There's no sign of any lion, do you think that Chaka made a mistake?" Asked Kovu, but Simba shook his head.

"No, the other cubs saw a lion too. We should call it a day."

"Ok then, we'll search again tomorrow."

"No, let him go in peace. We'll tell the animals to inform us if they see anyone"

So after a brief rest, the two lions got up and informed the animals of the possibility of a rogue. Quite a lot of them were uneasy around Kovu for obvious reasons, and Simba had to reassure the dark lion of their coming to trust him in the future.

There were no more sightings of any lions, so the event was forgotten. Kazia and Arina grew into sturdy cubs, and Chaka spent more time playing and looking after them. Arina was very playful and bright, always asking questions and willing to learn more, while Kazia was quiet and hot-tempered, often moaning if Chaka or Arina pounced on her. Koda and company had begun their climb into adolescence. Koda and Zara had become particularly good friends.

Kovu and Kiara continued their training to be king and queen, but Simba always made sure they had time to spend with their cubs. Nala was a very good grandmother, even Kazia smiled and went into a playful mood when out with her.

Many happy times passed, but one day, as Kiara was playing with Arina and Chaka, (Kazia was licking herself further off on a rock) Vitani sprinted up Pride Rock and back down again.

"Hey Vitani, what's the rush?" asked Kiara, slightly concerned by her frantic eyes.

"Have you seen Simba and Kovu?" She asked quickly, looking around.

"They went out together again, why?"

"We saw _three_ lions near the waterhole! Which way did they go?"

Kiara looked stunned, three lions? What were they doing here? Was one of them the lion they had searched for months ago? She shook herself before answering. "Th-That way, towards the large hollow tree."

"Thanks," Rasped Vitani before bolting off that way.

"Anything I could do to help?" yelled Kiara after her.

"Alert the others!" shouted Vitani, running through the plain.

"I'll get the cubs back too!"

As soon as Vitani was out of sight, Kiara dashed around Pride Rock to alert the other lionesses. She, Timira, Nala and a couple of lionesses went after Vitani to join Simba and Kovu, while others stayed at Pride Rock with Chaka, Kazia and Arina or went searching for the other cubs.

When they found Vitani, she had just finished telling Simba and Kovu about the rogues, and they all started towards the waterhole. With the help of some animal witnesses, they found the tracks of the lions, and didn't need to follow them long to find their owners. Well, the lions found them.

Just as they were about to lose the paw prints and scent again, a voice came from on top of a rock.

"Hey,"

Everyone turned to see a lion with golden fur and a red-ish brown mane standing on the rock, looking down on them almost timidly. Two more lions came up from behind him, and some of the lionesses braced themselves for any violence. One lion had a black mane, brown tail tuft, peachy coloured fur and tufts of mane on his ears, though they were hard to spot. He looked as old as Simba, and had amber-red eyes. The other was darker than the others, but not as dark as Kovu, and he had dark brown eyes.

Simba stepped forward with the usual pridelander pose of pride, strength and wisdom. The other lions recoiled slightly. "Good day, and to who am I speaking? I'm afraid that rogues have to ask permission from the resident pride for passage through the lands." He said, firmly but without any threat in his voice.

"We've come a long way, in mind more than distance, and we do not wish to simply pass through these lands." said the black-maned lion, being as polite as he could to the king, though his statement still aroused some disturbance among the lionesses.

"What do you want to do with the Pridelands then?" asked Kovu, obviously raising his guard a bit. He hadn't said it as kingly and grand as Simba did, and the rogue that looked a bit like Simba eyed him slightly, almost suspicious and confused. Then he lifted his head high, climbed down and looked Simba straight in the eye. "We wish to come home, father."

These few words caused such amazement amongst the pridelanders that many shook their heads and wondered if they'd heard wrong. But Nala held her gaze and stared at the lion, who smiled back at her. Something about that smile and those adventurous eyes seemed familiar… so familiar…and then it clicked. She gasped and stared harder, her blue eyes set only on the lion, ignoring everyone's eyes turning towards her.

"Kopa…?" she whispered, and at the nod of the lion's head she threw herself at him, hugging him and crying with joy and emotion. He hugged her back, licking her with affection and on the verge of tears too. She broke away from him for a moment to look at Simba, a long lost happiness finally being restored to her eyes. "Simba, he's alive…our baby…!"

Simba grinned, completely astounded and unable to believe his eyes. Their Kopa, whom they thought Zira had killed…

He jumped up and joined in the hug, followed by Kiara (Who could only vaguely remember having a brother, but could clearly remember her parent's grief.) and the pridelander lionesses that had known Kopa, including Timira, who was good friends with him. More than that, they were betrothed. Kovu and Vitani stood awkwardly to the side, puzzled.

"But how can it be..? Zira confessed that she'd killed you!" cried Simba, though part of him had already accepted the fact that Kopa was alive. After all, didn't everyone think he was dead when he ran away?

"It's a very long story, dad. It's not important right now."

"So, who are your friends?" asked Nala, looking at the other two lions that had just climbed down too.

"I think you'll remember them," smiled Kopa, stepping aside.

"Yeah, I do…" muttered Simba, trying to think of who they might resemble.

The black-maned lion stepped forward, then spoke as if he'd known Simba and Nala since forever. "Hey you two, we haven't seen each other in a while… I can't remember the last time I came to visit you!"

"Malka?!" cried the king and queen. "It's been ages! What happened? We could never contact you since Scar took over, and then...when he was defeated…your pride had gone somewhere!" Malka was their cubhood friend, who lived with the pride next door. They met when he got lost into the Pridelands, and Mufasa let him stay until they found his pride. Even though Simba was jealous of him at first, they soon became friends, and after he got picked up by his mum, Malka often came to visit. However, when Scar came to the throne, he didn't want the two prides communicating with each other, kept Zazu in a cage and made sure that hyenas patrolled the borders as much as possible.

"Well," said Malka, a sad smile on his face. "I think I'll explain that afterwards, when the whole story is told."

"It's good to see you again, Malka!" beamed Simba, then turned to the last lion, which had been staying back a bit until now. "And who may you be?"

"Well, I-er…" stammered the lion, then pulled himself together. "Is Kula here?" he asked, glancing around.

"No, and how do you know her?" asked Nala, though she was pretty sure she knew the answer by now.

"Just thought it would be nice to greet my mum, y' know…"

"Afua…?" breathed Timira. "Wow! I thought I'd never see you again!" She was about to jump up on him with joy, but restrained herself shyly.

"It's good to be back, I suppose," He beamed.

Then almost all the lions gathered in a group, greeting each other, laughing, smiling, great losses lifted from their shoulders. Vitani also ventured in a bit, she was unusually intrigued by the golden lion, interested in who he was and what his past was like. Kovu stood circling the crowd, confusion showing in his eyes. Suddenly he caught Kopa's eye, and they both stared at each other, each with the same weariness and uncertainty. Soon the crowd started to break up.

"Sorry Simba, but I'm still not quite sure about who they are… who's Kopa?" questioned Kovu uncertainly, almost taking the same question out of Kopa's mind. Simba chuckled, then moved out the way so that Kovu and Kopa could see each other face to face.

"Sorry, Kovu! I forgot all about explanations! Kopa's my son, he was born before Kiara, but a long time ago he disappeared." He cringed slightly at the memory. "We found Zira, with blood on her paws… she confessed that she had killed Kopa…We thought he was dead…" Kovu sighed, _another_ terrible deed his own mother had done! Simba remembered the devastation, the anger, the grief. He now knew what Nala had felt like when she found him in the jungle.

He then explained who Malka was, then Afua. He had also disappeared at the same time as Kopa. Though Zira said she didn't know where he was and didn't care, everyone had assumed that he was dead too. Then Simba remembered that Kopa also had no idea who Kovu was.

"This is Kovu, Kiara's mate. They've also got a story of their own, but that should wait until later. Come on, we'll head back to Pride Rock. There we can share our tales."

So with one last hug, the lions and lionesses headed back to Pride Rock, where Afua was reunited with his mother, Malka met Tama and Kula (Whom he had also played with as a cub.) And Kopa was reunited with the pride, and met all the others he didn't already know.

As soon as this was finished, the whole pride sat down to listen to the story the three lions had to say.


	4. Kopa's story

**Chapter 4: **

By combining many lions' points of view, the pride managed to pull together an explanation for all that had happened, and, with a bit of description, it went something like this:

_Kopa_ _bounded out of the cave, with Afua following hot on his heels. Joyfully, he stared over the kingdom; it would be his someday! But now he had something else on his mind. Earlier on he had seen a cub with scruffy fur and bright blue eyes. The young prince had only had a glimpse of him or her, as the cub had disappeared into the bushes the second he accidently cracked a twig. A few days later he thought he saw two cubs, the same one as last time, and a tiny glance of a darker one that looked slightly older than him. _

_The two cubs were actually Kovu and Vitani. When Simba claimed his rightful throne, Zira attacked him, and the other lionesses loyal to Scar threatened to join in too if it wasn't for Nala and the lionesses who supported Simba. Then, with the advice of others, Simba decided to send them away because of his fear that they might cause trouble in the pride. They were still allowed to hunt in the Pridelands, but only at the outskirts, as he was merciful towards Zira's two new-born cubs, only two days old. But they were not to communicate with his pride or hunt near them. They were to live completely separately. Zira vowed she'd get her revenge for her beloved's death, which concerned Simba when Kopa was born. _

_Often, Kopa ventured a little further than allowed to by his parents, and Vitani and Kovu slipped out a little further when looked after by Nuka. Infact, he sometimes went with them. Kopa now wanted to meet these strange lions and perhaps make friends with them. He had woken Afua up, and they got out earlier to find the cubs and explore while the others were asleep. _

"_Come on, slow snail!" laughed Kopa, gambolling down Pride Rock, then into the tall grass. Afua followed him, and they tumbled together through the grass, pouncing on each other as they went. _

"_Should we get Timira and that…?" wondered Afua out loud, but Kopa shook his head._

"_Girls are boring. She'd tell us to stop and go back, or get someone to come with us." Kopa and Timira thought of each other as friends, even though they had just found out they were betrothed. _

"_Well, if you say so…" said Afua. "But don't talk to your sister like that!"_

"_Oh, Kiara wouldn't understand much. She can talk alright, but she's not that bright yet. She'll believe anything I tell her!"_

"_Ha, like you were any different at her age! Wait a second; you haven't changed a bit since then!"_

"_Oh yeah…?" Kopa leapt on his friend and the two tumbled along, trying to pin each other down._

_Soon they went a little further than the border Kopa's father had set him, and Afua began to feel uneasy. _

"_Kopa, we're far from the hollow tree…" muttered Afua, feeling weary at every sound._

"_Come on, we're still in the Pridelands!" replied his friend, though Kopa was feeling quite uneasy too. They trudged on, Afua looking around to assure himself that no one was watching them, Kopa searching for the cubs he had seen. _

_Suddenly, swiftly but silently, a large lioness with bright red eyes and a stripe down her head and neck jumped out from the bushes. Kopa and Afua shrieked in surprise, and were half in mind to run away when the lioness spoke._

"_Hello, you two youngsters… Who may you be?" _

_It took a while for the cubs to understand what she was saying, and Zira had to reassure them that she wasn't going to bite before Kopa stepped up boldly and answered. _

"_I'm Kopa, prince of the Pridelands!"_

_For a moment Zira's eyes flashed, and she silently extracted her claws. _

"_Well then, your majesty... I know your father; we used to be…close…" She smiled and licked her lips. "And who is your friend?" _

"_I'm Afua!" He said, trying to stand as proud as Kopa. _

"_Very well, but I think the prince's blood will do...Much closer to Simba. He'd be very devastated when he finds out that his son isn't there anymore!"_

_Both cubs cried out and stared in horror; was she joking? Pulling their tails? Had they heard right?_

_Stupid cubs, thought Zira. Can't even believe someone wants to kill them._

_But the stunned cubs didn't have much more time to think, as just before they thought of bolting and running home, the vengeful lioness leapt forwards, straight for Kopa, hunger for revenge in her eyes. Kopa yelped, jumped out of the way, and sprinted away from her. Zira followed, and she was quickly gaining on him. Kopa's heart was hammering so loudly he thought she could hear it. _

_Suddenly, he struck a dead end, and Zira cornered him against a rock._

"_Please, no…" He whispered._

_Then at that moment, Afua exploded out from the bushes and launched himself at Zira, biting a chunk out of her ear. This brought her away from Kopa, and he scrambled away from the rocks._

"_Afua let go! Get out of here!" He screamed, but he didn't need to tell him. Finally, Zira let out a blow and slashed at Afua, whacking him off of her and into a rock. He was bleeding badly from her claws, and his head was spinning. _

"_NO!" shrieked Kopa, dashing to his friend's side. He was unconscious, but Kopa didn't know that._

"_What's the matter boy? Sad that your friend died trying to save you?" taunted Zira, approaching the sobbing cub. "You'll meet him soon, trust me. I can make it go by faster if you want!"_

_Kopa choked back tears and looked at his friend. What had he done? Why didn't he stay where his father had told him to? _

"_Wish someone was here to save you? Sorry to say this prince Kopa, but your dear daddy can't hear you, no matter how hard you scream!"_

_Terrified, Kopa jumped and teared towards Pride Rock, the only place he could think of that housed the help he needed, both for Afua and himself. If he wasn't dead, but Kopa tried to fight off that thought between tears. Unfortunately, Zira blocked him off, and he was forced to run the other way. Dodging Zira as much as he could, Kopa neared the edge of the gorge. However, he was looking behind him so often, cringing at the lioness's mockery, that he never realised it was there. _

_But then it was too late. _

_For a fraction of a second Kopa didn't know what was going on. The ground beneath him vanished and instead he felt that souring feeling rising from his stomach to his head as he plunged down towards to raging river. Within a couple of seconds he crashed straight into the water, narrowly missing a floating log. Though he still hadn't recovered from the shock, Kopa instinctively starting kicking his legs at once, trying to stay afloat. Rafiki had given him swimming lessons, but only now did Kopa truly try to remember everything he had told him. _

_He kept going under, almost getting trapped between logs, all the time kicking fiercely. However, Zira, who had rushed to the edge and stared down, couldn't see him. If a tiny pridelander cub like him had survived the fall without many injuries, he'd never survive the rapids or the waterfall that waited for him ahead. Chances were that he hadn't fallen down unscathed either. She was almost sure that he was doomed._

_Suddenly, Zira remembered the other cub she had knocked out. She didn't know if she had killed him, but it was best to check. The evil lioness didn't want the wretched cub running back to the pride. Paws covered in blood, Zira glanced one last time down the gorge before turning and making for the area where she vaguely remembered attacking Afua. _

_The lioness couldn't recall the exact place, as her mind was filled with nothing but an insane lust for the death of the royal cub at the time, and her eyes were almost blind to everything else. She came to the spot where she thought she had attacked him, but there was nothing there but some blood on the ground. Irritated, Zira searched more in the open, but there was her mistake. There was a gasp of surprise from higher up, and the lioness raised her head to see Zazu zooming above towards Pride Rock._

_Damn, thought Zira. They're probably looking for them by now. Zazu had seen her, she was sure of it, and he had probably seen the blood too. With one last look around, Zira turned swiftly and headed towards her lionesses, to warn them of what might happen. Some were a bit shocked at what Zira had done, but soon approved. They weren't having the easiest of times, being restricted upon their hunting lands, and Zira had made Simba seem even worse than he actually was. They thought this form of revenge was the right thing to do._

_Afua had infact woken up just after Zira chased Kopa to the gorge, and he had dragged himself after them, still bleeding. He got to the gorge in time to see his friend falling down, and stayed hidden in a bush when Zira went back. Once she was out of sight, he raced frantically to the edge, trying to spot Kopa. But just like Zira, he never saw him, and Kopa was swept away from the gorge. _

_With one last hope of finding his friend, Afua dashed as fast as he could along the gorge until he could get down to the river. He searched the shore, stared at the water, tried to find a sign of Kopa, but never found one. By the time he gave up hope, and with a heavy heart and tears in his eyes lay down near the river, he was just outside of the Pridelands. The troubled cub had no idea what to do, he didn't know his way back, his friend was dead…what was he supposed to tell the pride? Would they blame him? He began to think that he could have done something more to save Kopa. Filled with guilt, fear and misery, Afua followed the river and ran away. _

_Meanwhile, Spotti and Izani, two outlanders, reported to Zira that Simba and his lionesses were spotted nearby. For a moment Zira frowned, thought it over, then smiled evilly. _

_"Get the cubs. Hide them in the caves and leave one or two lionesses with them. Once you've done that, come and join me here with the rest of the lionesses. We'll be meeting Simba here." _

_Both lionesses nodded and rushed off. They didn't know how this would turn out, but followed Zira's orders. _

_Soon Simba and his lionesses came to the area where Zira was waiting for them. Zazu flew up above and directed them over to each other. As soon as both "prides" met, growls and snarls were shot at each other. Simba stepped forward first, but not as proudly as he could have, for they had noticed the cub's disappearance, and Zazu's discovery wasn't a good one. The parents were worried sick. _

_"Good afternoon, your majesty!" smiled Zira, almost mockingly. "What do you want on our lands?" _

_"These are not your lands, they still belong to us!" snarled a lioness on Simba's side, which made Zira's eyes narrow and her jaws clench._

_"These lands belong to Scar, and always will! If these lands belong to Scar, they belong to his faithful subjects too!" This increased the level of growling amongst the two groups of lions._

_"Enough of this!" snapped Simba, his voice almost a roar, but too broken to bring it out. "Where are the cubs?!"_

_Zira smiled a fur bristling smile. "I assure you I don't know what you're talking about." _

_This statement and the way Zira said it practically told Simba she had done something to do with his son and Kula's. Then he realised with a gasp that there were blood streaks on her paws. Nala noticed it too, and shivered. It can't be... they must have been hunting... but why this early? And wouldn't the rest of her lionesses have any signs of a hunt on them? _

_This made Zira's smile spread even further. "Noticed? I think it looks pretty good on me."_

_"WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?!" screamed Nala, almost throwing herself at the striped lioness._

_"Avenged Scar! That's what I've done!" snapped Zira, resisting the temptation to throw herself onto the lions before her. "You killed our king! MY king! Your little brat deserved what he got! I merely returned the favour!"_

_Nala cried out and sank to the ground, sobbing hard. Simba was at loss of what to do or say, he just froze and tried to take it all in. His son...gone...no...it couldn't be... _

_"What about Afua?" came a quiet voice, dreading the answer. _

_"I don't know, don't know who he is and don't care." Zira licked her blood stained paws casually._

_"YOU LIAR!" shrieked Kula, tears coming to her eyes. She had done something to her baby, she knew it. _

_"Hang on..." muttered Zira, pausing for a moment. "Was he that slightly darker one? I seem to remember another cub."_

_"WHAT DID YOU DO TO HIM?!" _

_"To be honest, I don't remember. Silly idiot tried to stop me I think," At this they noticed Zira's bleeding ear, and a chunk missing from it. " 'Might've crushed him, whacked him off, bit him, clawed... same thing really."_

_Then Kula too almost sank to the ground like Nala. The other lionesses comforted them and each other. Grief took over them all for the two young lives. Simba was still dumbstruck, the grief had come in too quickly. He had lost another family member... he just couldn't take it. _

_"Simba...Our baby..." sobbed Nala, completely broken down._

_"How does it feel, Simba, to lose a loved one?" said Zira, her words low but piercing like her claws, "This is what I felt when you killed my Scar!"_

_Simba didn't even have the heart to deny it and tell her once again that his own hyenas had killed him._

_"Coward..." he muttered._

_"I'm sorry?"_

_"You're a coward, Zira. Why don't you just come at me? No, instead you murder innocent children! That's cowardly, even for you Zira!"_

_"It's definitely not cowardly to make you feel this pain, Simba. The pain I experienced was overwhelming. I didn't know what I'd do. There was nothing to do...an emptiness inside, right Simba? Oh, and to make you feel it AGAIN is just even better. Feel the pain, Simba. You wouldn't recommend it to anyone else, would you? It's worse than dying, isn't it? You see, dear Simba, I'm no coward. Now spend the rest of your days in this pain and guilt that you could've stopped it. Mind you, those days won't be long, for I'll get you too some day, Simba. Trust me."_

_These words would have spooked anyone out, but Simba had such a mixture of grief, anger and misery inside him that he ignored them completely. _

_"Get out." He said, raising his head to show his tear stained face full of rage. "Get out...NOW." _

_Some of the lionesses stepped forward, growling and snarling fiercely. _

_"Oh, I'll go Simba. But I'll be back. You'll be looking over your shoulder until then. That is a promise." said Zira, grinning evilly then turning round. "Let's go, girls. Leave King Simba to drown in his grief, like we did!"_

_The rest of her lionesses made to leave as Simba shouted after them._

_"IF YOU EVER COME BACK, YOU'LL BE PUNISHED SEVERELY!"_

_"Understood, your majesty." mocked Zira again, then disappeared among the trees and bushes. Simba bent down and nuzzled Nala. He had let this happen...and now Kopa was dead. He had failed to protect his son. If he had simply exiled Zira, this would never have happened. Then he thought of his other younger child, Kiara. He would do everything he could to keep her safe, no matter what. He wouldn't fail again._


	5. Doubts

Chapter 5:

_What everyone didn't know was that Kopa survived all the difficulties put before him. He was dragged with the river, and just as he was entering the rapids, kicking in desperation, trying to get to shore, a lion that happened to be walking along the river spotted him and jumped in. He grabbed the cub by the scruff on his neck and dragged him to safety._

_Later, when Kopa had fully recovered and taken in what was around him, the lion introduced himself as Malka, a rogue. He had infact just arrived in these lands, as long ago, when Scar banned the communication between the two prides, he eventually sent hyenas to attack Malka's pride and gain the land. The whole pride was massacred, except for Malka and his mum, who had managed to escape. This happened without the lionesses knowing, and Scar was especially driven to this decision by finding out that the lionesses were going to smuggle Chumvi and Tojo, two male cubs, to the other pride because they were a threat to the throne and they were afraid that Scar was going to kill them. Unfortunately, Scars hyenas got ahead of the lionesses and had killed the two cubs near the border on the night that they tried to leave. [Malka was hit hard by this news when Simba and Nala told him, as they were also his cubhood friends.] The cubs wouldn't have survived anyway, because Malka's pride was already gone, and two little cubs were no match for the cruelness of nature. _

_Malka and his mother had escaped by a hairline, and went to live somewhere else, far away. Malka wanted to go to the Pridelands, to finally find out what was going on. When he was younger, and nothing was heard from Pride Rock for some time, some members of his pride had tried to go there and find out what was going on, only to find hyenas patrolling borders and the news that the great king Mufasa and his son were dead, and that Scar had taken over. From then on, no one tried to go against the hyenas, and Malka's pride stayed in their lands, until Scar and his hyenas attacked. _

_When Simba returned and Scar's reign ended, the pride tried to find Malka's pride again, but by then, there was not a living soul in their lands, and Malka was far away. The pridelanders decided to leave the other pride's lands alone and separate, in memory of the pride that used to live there. Malka's mother had wanted nothing to do with the monsters that had destroyed their pride, and wasn't going to risk her son's life to find out the truth. They found some land far away to live, and when Malka's mother eventually grew old and passed away, he decided to go back to the Pridelands, to finally quench his thirst for answers. _

_On his way there, almost at the border, Malka met Kopa and helped him out of the water. Kopa thought that his friend, Afua, was dead and that it was his fault, and decided to live with Malka. He called himself Tanabi, the first name that came to his mind, and went on living like that. Malka sometimes made the vague connection between Kopa and the Pridelands, but never tried to take the truth out of him, as Kopa had obviously been through a lot. When Malka asked him about the Pridelands and told him he was going there, Kopa became saddened and frightened of going there. He was in such a state that Malka decided his trip would wait for later, and for now, he would take care of the cub further away. _

_Afua, meanwhile, had been taken in by a small family of rogues, and lived with them. Time passed, and one day, Afua decided to go back to the Pridelands, as much encouraged by his new family when he revealed who he was. Malka, too, decided that it was time to return, and that Kopa was ready to come. If he didn't want to, he'd still be able to cope by himself while Malka was gone. After all, he was a grown lion now. Kopa told Malka he didn't want to go, and why, revealing who he was and confirming Malka's suspicions. Malka, however, thought it was time Kopa returned to his proper home, and stopped running from his problems. Eventually, Kopa agreed to come, and the two lions set off._

_When Kopa and Malka got there, Kopa didn't think he was ready, and despite Malka's dying to get to Pride Rock and Kopa's offers for him to keep going without him, Malka stayed with him and they retreated to Malka's old pride's lands. That was the day that Chaka and his friends saw Kopa. Malka and Kopa stayed where they were for a while, before unexpectedly meeting a long lost friend, Afua, who had also decided to go back. They each encouraged each other, as both friends thought the other was dead, and the three finally arrived at the Pridelands, where we last left our heroes._

So after this story was told, and the story of the two prides joining together thanks to Kovu and Kiara and Zira's death, everyone went to sleep that night with all their questions and wonders of the past answered, though some had to think on it.

When almost everyone else was sound asleep in the cave, Simba and Kopa were sitting outside and looking at the moon and the stars. Simba couldn't believe that his son was alive, after all these years, he was alive and well, and Kopa was glad to be home again, except for one little thought at the back of his mind that was bothering him a bit.

"Father…?" He asked, turning his red eyes towards him as he had done a long time ago as a cub.

"Yes, Kopa?" replied Simba.

"Well, I was wondering…about this Kovu guy…"

"Not the politest way to speak about your brother in law, you're going to have to learn more about speaking like a ki-" Simba paused. Wait, wasn't Kopa next in line for the throne? But hadn't he been training Kovu for so long, and now he wasn't going to be king? He wondered about how this would go down, and if Kopa would be a good king, especially because of the way he was brought up. Would it be too late to teach him the standards needed to be a ruler?

Kopa, however, hadn't taken notice of this. "Sorry dad, but I was wondering about him. Is he really as good as you think he is?" His voice no longer held the innocent curiosity he had once used when he asked his father something, but a slightly venomous suspicion. Ever since Zira had attacked him as a cub, he was naturally weary of the former outlanders when they were around his family, and held a secret grudge against almost all of them.

Simba shook himself out of his thoughts about the future and focused on his son's question. "What do you mean, son?"

"Well…er…" Kopa found it difficult to find a way to express his feelings. "Well, you know when I was a cub, and some of the lionesses scared me into obedience by telling me stories about Scar? They told me he was darker than usual pridelanders, had green eyes, and most distinctively, a scar across his eye."

Simba listened to these words, picking up on what Kopa was saying, but letting him finish without interruptions.

"So anyway, when I first saw Kovu, the first thing that came into my head was Scar. I've never seen him, and he fitted the description very well. I was confused, wondering what Scar was doing here, and wondering why he looked so much younger than how old Scar would be. Then you explained, but- I don't know, you tell me he's good and didn't want anything to do with Zira, but…what if he IS Scar inside? He's been trained to kill you for so long; do you really think he'll turn over that quickly?"

For a few moments, Simba took in what Kopa had just told him, and found himself surprised at the doubts that had suddenly risen in him. Kopa was right, Kovu _had _been trained to kill him since cubhood, and it only took him two days to turn over. He _had _been acting strangely lately, almost frustrated about something, and what if Zira and Scar had influenced him too much? What if Kiara had only delayed the darkness that was rising inside? What if it was too late? How long would it be before it resurfaced, if that was the case? And now Kopa was going to be King, not him, and that just made things a whole lot worse.

Angry at himself for judging unfairly again, Simba shook himself out of his thoughts and looked at Kopa, who was watching him, waiting for an answer. Simba nodded wisely and looked on across the Pridelands. "People often judge others unfairly in this world, and I have myself." He looked at the place where Kovu had stood when he exiled him. "But you, at least, have a better reason to do so. You've been through a lot, Kopa, and I don't blame you for worrying about this. Zira tried to kill you, then you come back to be among the very lions who had intended harm to our family. It's going to take a while to get used to, but you will. Now I know you're a grown lion, as you're worrying about our family, but don't worry son, we're fine now. You know, you should try and get to know Kovu a bit more later, it'll really help!"

"Thanks dad, I needed that comfort. I'm still going to be watchful, I'm afraid. Who can blame me? I want us all safe. But I'll try and get to know _everyone_."

Simba smiled. "I know you will."

Kopa smiled then gazed at the stars for some time with his father. Simba may have tried to hide it, but Kopa knew a doubtful face when he saw one. He saw the sudden thoughts and suspicions that raced through the King's mind, and his final face when he tried to push these things aside. From experience, Kopa knew that Simba wasn't sure about what he had told him as a reassurance, and when he glanced at him again, he could read the deep, worried thoughts inside him again. If Simba wasn't sure about this, he'd investigate it himself.

_No one's going to harm my family again and get away with it, I promise you that Zira. _

Inside the cave, another hearty conversation was being made. As Kiara and the cubs slept beside Kovu, he was whispering to Vitani.

"So, what do you think of this Kopa character, huh?" asked Vitani, her voice barely audible two metres away.

Kovu shrugged. "He's a nice fellow, yet I think he's suspicious of us." And at Vitani's questioning smile he added, "Fine, suspicious of me."

Vitani stretched and yawned. "Eh, who could blame the guy? After all, you look a lot like Scar."

"Pf, it's just the wretched scar over my eye, damn it. Makes me feel like I deserve no more than him."

"Don't be silly." Vitani gazed outside the cave for a few moments then wondered out loud. "Do you think I'm ugly?"

This almost random remark startled Kovu, but he looked up and down his sister. "No, why would you be?"

"I don't know, I'm not having any luck, and…I don't know, sometimes I just want to look more like Kiara, or…"

Kovu smiled and raised an eyebrow at Vitani as she tried to express herself.

"How can you have a mate like Kiara, who has cubs liked Arina and Kazia, and has a mother like Nala, and, and…" She sighed. "…and you still have a sister like me? Even you're better-looking."

Kovu rolled his eyes. "Well, I don't look good with a scar over my eye, do I? Some animals stare at it and cringe. But look at your eyes, they're different. Such a blue no other lioness could have in this pride. Besides," he winked. "There are two new handsome young lions in the pride, and if one makes fun of you, you can bite his head clean off!"

Vitani laughed silently. "There's one good thing about me!" Then she thought for a moment. "But Kopa's too opposite, and he's already betrothed! What would he or Afua ever see in me?"

"What did Kiara see in me? An outlander who is supposed to follow in Scar's footprints and become king? A lion that's going to have to murder her father? No, she didn't see that, and I'm glad she didn't. Guess where we would be now?"

"Heh, either at the top but with lionesses giving us murderous looks and Zira pestering us, or down in the Outlands wastage."

"Yeah, and…" Kovu yawned loudly. "Think it's time to sleep?"

"Yeah, good night…little prince." Vitani grinned as she slowly padded away to her spot and lay down.

Kovu smiled. It had been tough in the Outlands, but at least Zira wouldn't be calling him that anymore. But wait, what if someone else does? After all, Kopa was first born before Kiara, and that makes him the rightful heir to the throne, right? So all that training would go to nothing, but in a way, Kovu was grateful that this had happened. He was always worrying whether he'd be a good king, the weary animals still didn't always trust him, and to be honest, he wasn't a very kingly speaker or decision maker. Kopa would fit the job much better than he ever would.

However, these thoughts would have to be left for the moment, and the dark lion fell asleep, just before Simba and Kopa padded into the cave. A few minutes later, a lioness opened one eye, gazed into nowhere as she thought over what she had heard, and then fell asleep. It was Timira, and she had overheard Kovu and Vitani's conversation, much by accident, as she couldn't sleep due to the excitement that had happened that day. She was only slightly listening to them, and heard them as if from a dream, but once Vitani mentioned Kopa and Afua, she began to listen more intently.

A long time ago, Timira had been betrothed to Kopa, especially since they were such good friends. However, since then, they had only ever thought of each other as friends, and nothing more. As cubs, they never considered the matter seriously, and let it pass over their heads. But now, things were different, Kopa was back, but when he returned, Timira didn't quite express the feelings that Nala felt when she found Simba. They greeted each other happily, but they just…didn't feel together, didn't share the same joy. With Afua, well, that was a different matter. He was a shy lion, but didn't hesitate to greet Timira, and she had felt a great surge of joy when she realised he was alive, not just like a friend, but more than that.

Many more similar thoughts floated about in the troubled lioness's mind, and she realised how strange the situation was. Vitani felt that if she was going to have a mate, it would definitely not be Kopa, but she spoke like she was wondering what would happen if it was so. Timira, however, had the privilege to be Kopa's mate, but wasn't sure about it anymore. She sighed, it seemed like things were going to get complicated from now on.


	6. Changes, and a bad omen

**Chapter 6:**

A couple of weeks later, Kopa was officially pronounced the future king of the Pridelands, and the news spread very quickly from animal to animal. This ceremony was very awkward, considering Kovu and Kiara were already trained as rulers. Kopa had exchanged a few words with Kovu in between group discussions, but he wanted to talk to him face-to-face, to see what he was really like. One day, Kopa got that chance.

"Hey, what's up?" He asked, as he padded over to the dark lion, who was sitting on a ledge at Pride Rock, overlooking the grasslands. Kovu and Kiara had been seemingly restless lately, and Kopa was a little worried and suspicious about the reason. Whatever Kovu was thinking, he didn't want him to drag Kiara down with him. Kovu started from his thoughts and looked up.

"Hey...so...can I...help you?"

"Er...no, not really. I just wanted to talk to you."

"About what?"

Kopa shrugged awkwardly. "Anything, really. Anything bothering you?"

Kovu sighed. "Noticed, huh? It's nothing major, no need to worry."

"Simba told me I have to pay attention to anyone who seems to be having troubles."

"Yeah, he told me that too, once upon a time, before-" Kovu hadn't realised how wrong that came out, especially with the strange tone he said it in. He had just realised Simba's slight hesitation around him, and at first thought it was because he was spending lots of time with Kopa, but soon noticed Kopa eying him more than once, and the expression on his face was less than friendly. Even Simba shared a worried glance in his direction before turning back to Kopa, and Kovu was having his suspicions about what Kopa had been telling Simba. But these were only small suspicions at the back of his head, suspicions that hadn't been focused on in words or in detail yet. He was just feeling a little wistful at the moment, not because he wanted to be King, but because he felt that Simba might not have much time with him anymore. In some ways that was a good thing, as he had more time to be with his family, but Simba had been like a new parent to him, one he never had, and suddenly he had to focus a lot on someone else.

However, he had no time to think about this, or correct what he said, as Kopa, being the type of lion that could tell someone's feelings without them telling him directly, picked up the strange tone and meaning behind the words, but interpreted them differently. He growled and strode right over to the dark lion, until his face was almost right against his.

"Don't even _think_ about doing anything stupid, outlander." He snarled, as Kovu arched his back but didn't back down. "You try anything that'll hurt my family, physically or mentally-"

"I didn't mean that! You don't under-" Kovu hissed, but Kopa cut him short.

"Simba may want to trust you, but I might just give him a few more thoughts about you, and then you won't be guaranteed to stay in this pride. As long as that scar's on your face, I don't have any reason to trust you entirely. If you do _anything _against us, you'll have me to deal with." Snarling, Kopa turned and slowly stalked away.

Growling, Kovu kicked a stone hard in frustration, then half stomped, half walked to the waterhole, where he lay there in a foul mood.

_Who the _hell _does that guy think he is? How many more suspicious judges do I need? I haven't got anything against him or Simba, but whatever he tells Simba will probably sound perfectly plausible and may just get Simba hooked! All this because of my stupid mother. Her obsession drove the pride apart, and raised suspicions that may never be flattened out again. She attacks a cub for some stupid revenge, and now he's after me because of _her _mistake! She even gets her son killed, then blames me! Yet, could I have helped Nuka? In some ways I chose Simba over him, and carry a scar to make me regret that decision, but…I could've got a lot worse if I hadn't. If I'd gone for Simba, I don't know what would have happened. Certainly not this, the prides would probably fight each other until there was no one left, and my cubs wouldn't be here. But somehow, Simba will completely forget that I spared him over my own brother, and believe whatever Kopa says if he decides to do so._

Meanwhile, near Pride Rock, Timira and Afua were having a conversation under a tree as old friends.

After a bit of hearty and joyful chat, the subject came back to Kopa, especially since he had just stomped past them, only ceasing his muttering for a second to greet them drily before continuing. Sighing, Timira gazed after him.

"He's changed, Afua. He's not the carefree, adventurous cub I once knew…"

"Well, being attacked by Zira isn't the most carefree thing that could happen to you, especially at such an early age…"

"But he's so weary, I've seen the way he eyes those 'outlanders.' He absolutely hates them…he just can't let go of the past, and is so protective of his family. Too overprotective if not that."

"Oh, I wouldn't say that. Behind that mask of hatred I just see a troubled cub that's still haunted and scared by the past. You just need to get at that part of him and try to heal it, then the hatred and judgement will be gone, I guess…"

"I'm glad _you _haven't changed." Said Timira affectionately, rubbing into his mane. "The three of us were best friends, we were. I just hope it isn't too late to change it."

"I'm sure it isn't Timira, we'll find Kopa later and try to revive the old days. Maybe that will help knock some sense into him."

After a few silent moments, Timira finally voiced out what she was thinking.

"Even so, Afua, I can't be his mate. He's barely talked to me; we haven't had a good hearty conversation, just talking about…anything really. Random things, things that friends talk to each other about."

"_Friends?_ Timira, I'm sure you're just exaggerating. He's just troubled, as I've said. Time heals all wounds, you'll be together in no time…" At this he turned away for a moment and sighed. "You'll be there for each other, you his queen and him your king…you'll be happy together…"

"I'm sure I can be happy with you too." said Timira shyly, and Afua beamed back.

_I've made up my mind, _thought Timira. _I'm not confused any more, and Kopa can always find a better lioness…one that can keep him in check! _She added, smiling to herself.

Back at the waterhole, Kovu had just awakened from his thoughts when he heard a lion padding up from behind him. He was just about to turn and give Kopa a piece of his mind, when he realised it wasn't him at all.

"Oh, hi Simba…" mumbled Kovu, turning his head away again and staring at the ground, almost irritated. They had not talked alone in a while, and Kovu could already sense the hesitation in the lion that was approaching him. Why was he losing trust in him again?

"Hey Kovu, fancy seeing you here…Kiara was just wondering where you were."

"Sure, I'll be there in a minute. Is that all?" Kovu sounded irritated and impatient, like a little child who was upset at someone and just wanted them to leave.

"Well, I can stay for a bit and accompany you back if you like. You've been a little distant from the pride today…"

Kovu only just realised how strange it was that he could now come and go from Pride Rock almost unnoticed. Before, Simba had often gone with him, or would have noticed him go, then ask when he was coming back, probably for another lesson. At the time he would have liked to have some alone time, but now, he just felt a bit…too alone…

He got up and walked past Simba. "Ok, Simba. Come on," He called. "I want to see the cubs."

Simba followed him, and once again, for the first time since Kiara and Kovu lost two of their cubs, was tongue-tied for words. Kovu seemed to feel the same, or was too deep in thought to notice.

"Has anything been bothering you lately?" Asked Simba, slightly awkwardly and worried about the answer.

"No…" muttered Kovu, untruthfully. "Why?"

"Well, you and Kiara have seemed a bit…restless lately, even frustrated. You can tell me if there's anything wrong."

Suddenly, Simba remembered the night Chaka was born, and half expected Kovu to lash out again and yell at him to leave him alone, but instead, he just kept walking without a break in his pace, staring ahead in silence. Simba decided he would have liked the alternative a bit more, rather than the cold silence.

"Kiara's worried about Kazia." Uttered Kovu, just as Simba was running out of ideas of what to say.

"Kazia?"

"Yes, she's always been the moody one but this is different. She's anti-social and just wants everyone to get out of her way. Vitani can handle her well, but…we're worried."

Simba nodded, glad to have something to talk about. "I think Kazia's just getting onto that age. It must also be strange for new lions to come in the pride, so she probably needs lots of support, even if she won't admit it. Just be there for her, and she'll pass through this stage."

"Thanks, Simba." A smile allowed itself to spread across his face, but it soon faded away as Kovu frowned and looked as if he'd just remembered something. Almost coming to a halt, he opened his mouth then shut it again. Simba noticed this and turned back to face the lion that had seemingly wanted to ask a question, and had completely stopped now.

"Kovu? Did you want to ask me something?" He asked, concerned, yet hesitant.

After a short pause, Kovu replied abruptly and shook his head. "No. It doesn't matter, I'm fine." And with that, he took one last sigh and gaze across the savannah before carrying on towards Pride Rock. "Let's go."

That night, Simba stood at the tip of Pride Rock, questioning the kings in the stars.

_Father, I'm lost, I need your advice again…I want to trust Kovu, but…I just feel that something long buried has resurfaced again in him. Could it be my fault? Have we been chasing each other in a wild circle of misunderstanding? How long will the darkness stay? Will it get worse?_

Once again, Simba realised he was begging for answers, and cursed himself for being able to solve the quarrels between the animals in the kingdom, but not being able to solve his own problems.

"Simba? It's getting late. Aren't you going to come in?"

If any other lion had broken into his thoughts like that, Simba would have been startled, but Nala's gentle voice never failed to break this rule. With a concerned look on her face, the queen known for her fair judgment and calmness padded up to Simba, and sat down beside him.

"Seeking council from the great kings again?"

"Yes, I'm afraid, and it's because of almost the same reason…"

"Simba, why are you always full of doubts? It's probably just stressful for Kovu to not be the only male besides you, or not the next king."

"Yes, but…I can't help just see a change in the way he looks at me…it's quite…unnerving.

"Oh Simba, maybe he's just upset about something, and the fact that he's a former outlander just makes you imagine things. Be more open, and treat both Kopa and Kovu like your sons. You need to bring them together and make sure none of them feel left out. You're just in a never-ending circle of misunderstood feelings in my opinion."

"You're right Nala, as always." He smiled at this, but frowned again in thought after a few moments. "But I've been having some…strange dreams…"

"Dreams…?"

"Yes, I see two lions fighting, but though I couldn't make them out, I'm pretty sure they were Kopa and Kovu. Then I see my grandchildren, cowering in the shadow of someone else. At first I think it's Scar, then Zira, but it turns out to be a lioness I don't know, or just can't make out. Just when I think I've got it, she disappears and I wake up. I can still hear her evil laugh…"

"Simba…this _is _strange. Are you sure you don't know who the lioness was?"

"No, I've tried and tried to see her clearly but I just can't remember her…"

"The cubs and Kopa and Kovu fighting is quite worrying though Simba, you should tell Rafiki."

"I can't, he's off to his homeland for a long time, but I guess we'll have to keep everyone safe until he comes back, right?"

"Of course Simba, I know you will. Now get some sleep, and let me know if you have any more nightmares, ok sweetie?"

"Nalaaaaaa….."


	7. The mysterious lioness

**Phew, a shorter chapter :)!**

**Chapter 7:**

Unfortunately, Simba's thoughts about Kazia were wrong. Earlier on that day, she had met someone she really didn't want to meet…

"Ha! Gotcha, Kazia!"

As he said his, Chaka pounced on his sister and the two tumbled along with Arina gambling behind them, until Kazia finally pinned him down using the trick her grandma had often used as a cub.

"What is wrong with you? Why are you so annoying and childish?" She growled, still pinning him firmly to the ground.

"Geez sis, what's wrong with you? I was only having a bit of fun!" Replied Chaka, rolling his eyes, but with a defeated air.

"Yeah, don't you ever play?" Said Arina, raising her eyebrows and wrinkling her nose.

"Playing's for babies, we should really start training to hunt!"

"Well that's rich coming from you, Kazia." sniffed Chaka. "Besides, it's the girl's job to do the hunting!"

"While what, the men just sit around and eat first?" Kazia rolled her eyes. "Honestly Chaka, don't you know anything about being king?"

"Well no, after all, I'm not going to be one, am I?"

"But you're still a male in the pride, and you're expected to do a job."

"Like what?" Asked Arina in her innocent voice.

"Protect the pride from other lions, duh! Didn't Dad go with Grandpa to meet Kopa and the others when they thought they were rogues? Surely someone told you that."

"If you say so, but will I have to fight the rogues? I'm not good at fighting…"

Kazia smirked at her brother. It felt so amusing to be giving her older sibling a lecture about growing up. She knew he hated violence; He was a bit weak and cowardly in some ways.

"Your decision, so, want to go hunting now?"

"Well…"

"Oh, but I don't want to learn hunting sis! There isn't anyone to teach us at the moment, it's so hot!" wailed Arina.

"For a baby like you, of course it would be!" snapped Kazia.

"Sis, stop it! I'd like to, but Arina's right. It's much too hot, it's the middle of the day! The lionesses barely ever hunt at this time! Maybe later, ok?"

"Fine! You go play with your best little sister! I don't need any of you!" yelled Kazia, then stomped off, trying to hide the hurt in her eyes.

"Kazia! Wait! You can stay here…!" but Chaka couldn't chase her, as she broke into a run away from Pride Rock.

_Oh sis, I really don't understand you sometimes… _thought Chaka, gazing out after her.

_Hmph, I don't need any of them. Besides, he's always too busy playing kiddy games with his oh so precious Arina! She's such a spoilt brat! _Kazia sighed, she knew deep down that she was just feeling jealous, but couldn't admit it. Really she depended quite a lot on Chaka, he took care of her a lot, but whenever he spent some time with Arina as well, she felt robbed of his attention and imagined all sorts of favouritism from him to her sister. Arina couldn't help it, she was such an innocent cub, but even she realised the rift that was forming between her and her sister, and her brother's troubles to keep them together.

She was so lost in thought, that the royal cub never noticed what she was walking towards, until she stepped on something furry and a roar pierced the air. Before she even knew what was going on, a dark lioness suddenly rose from the tall grass and towered above Kazia.

"And exactly _what_ do you think you're doing?!" yelled the lioness, flicking her tail viciously in anger. "This isn't a play-thing you know!"

"I-I'm sorry, miss! I didn't mean t-to wake you up!" whimpered Kazia, rooted to the spot with fear.

For a moment, the lioness looked as if she was about to eat the little ball of annoyance, but seemed to reconsider as her dark brown eyes suddenly blazed like fire for a second.

"Hey, hey, hey…aren't you from the Pridelands?" she asked, flickers of hatching plans passing through her eyes every now and then.

"Y-yes!" sniffed Kazia, and just to make herself sound too important to eat, added: "A-and my grand-d-dad's the king of the Pridelands!"

"O-oh-oh!" A twisted smile spread across the lioness's face. "I'm really scared now (!) Silly little cub! I could eat you in one bite! Though I could be merciful and swallow you whole!"

"No! Please!"

Cackling wickedly, the lioness circled the terrified cub, getting closer, and closer. As instinct switched on, Kazia made a mad bolt away from the lioness, but found that she was too quick for her. She blocked every path she tried to take, always advancing even closer. Petrified, the cub shrieked as the lioness finally lunged, and grabbed her by the tail. Growling, she struck Kazia, but didn't have her claws out.

"Quiet, foolish cub, or I'll use my claws next time!" she snarled, as Kazia shut up and lay there whimpering. Smiling cruelly at the sight of the cub, the lioness dragged her even closer.

"Now listen here, you. I ain't about to hurt you. I just need you to do me a _liiittle _favour." Suddenly, the lioness put on a patronizing voice that is often used when talking to little children.

"A-anything!"

"Calm down, calm down, alright? I'm sorry if I scared you too much, I just like to make it known I don't like cubs jumping all over my tail all the time, and you should really keep it quiet. All I want you to do is sneak us some food every now and then, and tell us what's going on in your pride. Y'know, whether you're doing well, anything exciting, who's in your pride…"

"_Us?"_

"Yeah, I'm allowed to have friends, aren't I?"

"O-ok. I'll see if I can get some food. Where will you be?"

"Same place, same time, every day. Though I don't expect you to bring food down every single day."

"For how long will I have to do this?"

"Oh, not long. We're…friends…of your father's and grandfather's… (She had figured out that Kazia was Kovu and Kiara's son) but they don't like us much. We're just passing by, and it's tiring travelling in a group. I have a son, you know. So what do you say, could you help us? Just for a little while?"

"I…I guess so…"

"And don't tell anyone." The lioness added rather sharply. "Simba and the rest don't know I'm a nice lioness, they won't understand and arguments could go up in the air. Also, your family might not be too glad to see you've been talking to strangers at sunset. I imagine most cubs should be back by now."

"Oh gosh, I never realised!"

"And your brother will have even more a reason to favour your other sibling over you."

"How did you know about-?"

"I'm not deaf you know, and I'll give you a tip for the next time you go wandering through the savannah; Don't start talking to yourself."

"Oh…ok. I gotta go…" At this, Kazia got up (The lioness had let go of her tail by then) and slowly turned away from the lioness, who didn't do anything to stop her.

"And remember…it's our little secret…"


	8. Secrets

**Omg I've already got a review :D Thanks so much!**

**Chapter 8:**

"No, Zira… please, no…" muttered Kopa in his sleep. Kovu, who had only been sleeping lightly, was woken by the troubled lion's sleep talking, and was now watching him, his green eyes piercing through the darkness.

"He's been at it a while, you know." said Kiara, who was lying next to him, as she lifted her head. "I can't get to sleep because of his muttering!"

"Why don't you wake him up, then?" asked Kovu, who was a bit distraught and agitated because of the topic of Kopa's muttering.

Kiara's jokey expression suddenly turned to concern as she saw old wounds and memories opening up again in her mate. A certain darkness was gathering up again, a darkness she would have seen when he was accepted in the pride after saving her from the fire. That is, if Simba hadn't been so overprotective and blocked her from noticing these things. In some ways, if she hadn't been so naïve, she wouldn't have been so open to Kovu, and he might never have decided to quit Zira's plan, but now, during lessons and more outside experience, Kiara had in some ways grown up and learnt to read people's feelings, much like Kopa. However, she tried to not interpret the signs wrong, and consider all possibilities first.

Kovu had also noticed Kiara's change in character (And hunting skills) and at first was proud of her, but now, small thoughts were drifting at the back of his mind with an idea that this new attention to things might just help Kopa plant some seeds of suspicions and doubt into her too. However, she was his mate, she had shown no signs of doubt so far, and though he was thankful for this, he was careful to not show any signs of dark feelings within him.

This time though, he couldn't hide the fact he was upset about what Kopa had been muttering in his sleep, and sure enough, Kiara noticed.

"Kovu?" she asked, sitting up. "Please don't be troubled over the past. It's all over, and we can't change it. It's about time we stopped lingering over past decisions or mistakes, and look to the future. After all, we have cubs now, and they shouldn't grow up with this example. Especially Kazia."

"I wish Kopa could talk and think like you can, Kiara, but you're right. I can't help it though. Although Zira seemed more like a commander, she sometimes showed signs of actual motherhood, as if she was really doing all this so we could have a brighter future. Sometimes I find it hard to believe that she was made a monster because of her obsession over Scar, and wanted to kill her own daughter…"

"Hey, she might have done all this because of _both _reasons, and just felt betrayed and hurt when Vitani changed sides. Zira might have been one of those lionesses that shout out empty threats to relieve the stress. Anyway, that thought might help lighten your stress a bit."

"But I wish I _knew _why she did all this, not just make guesses…"

"Hey silly, remember what I said?"

"Heheh… alright then, alright, I'll cut it out, for the kids."

"Thanks, dear." smiled Kiara, as she lay down again. "Wow, Kopa finally shut up. And by the way, I know you're getting off on a bad start with him, but _try _to get along." At Kovu's almost disgusted expression, she added; "Don't pull that face, mister, I told _him _off, you know! He's moody, but I hope he listens. Try and, I don't know, share experiences together, talk about guy stuff, or…" A great yawn passed over Kiara's face as she shrugged, then relaxed her head and let her eyes slowly flutter to a close. "Good night…"

Early the next morning, Kazia sat outside and waited impatiently for the lionesses to return with the hunt. She hadn't told anyone about the lioness she had met yesterday, and she didn't seem too dangerous; perhaps a bit of food sharing would eventually satisfy her and she'd move on. Besides, she was only one lioness, and they were a whole pride.

However, Kazia _did _feel a bit scared of the oncoming meeting, and often snapped at anyone who asked her if anything was wrong. Finally, a roar was heard from not too far off, and the rest of the pride got up and travelled towards the noise.

_They must have caught something big today… _thought Kazia, as she followed the others.

She was right, the lionesses had brought down a large buffalo, which was too heavy to be dragged to Pride Rock as it was. Simba thanked the hunting group for their hard work, and everyone dug in. Seeing her chance, Kazia ripped off a slightly larger chunk than usual and began dragging it away from the crowd.

"Where are you going, Kaz?" called Arina, gnawing the meat off a bone.

"Somewhere far away from you, where I can enjoy my food in peace!" snapped Kazia, with the meat still between her teeth.

"Geez, you don't have to be so rude!" retorted her sister, then went back to eating.

No one else bothered to question Kazia, as she often took her food to eat somewhere else. Heart gradually speeding up with excitement as she neared the meeting place with the lioness, Kazia made her way through the undergrowth and hoped that she would be the first there.

Once she had reached the clearing, Kazia cautiously lay down the meat, then hastily climbed up one of the trees, looking down on the clearing and using all her senses to detect any signs of the mysterious lioness, hoping that no other animals would come to steal the food.

Time passed, and just as Kazia was thinking on getting down from the tree and eating some of the food, she suddenly caught the sharp and unfamiliar smell of the lioness, who came into the clearing a few seconds later. Holding her breath, Kazia observed the figure beneath her, and licked her lips yearningly as she saw her munch on the meat.

"You can come down, you know." Shocked at the sudden speech of the lioness, Kazia jumped and almost fell out of the tree.

"H-h-ha-wha-?!" she blurted. "How did you know I was up here?"

"Oh, the usual. Obvious scent, rustling in the branches, even if you did do well to hide yourself from sight. You should be taught that stuff by now."

"Well, that's the problem," Sighed Kazia, sliding down the twisted trunk of the tree. "I also want to learn hunting, but instead I'm stuck with my spoilt little sister and her favouring brother…"

"Ha, nice life _you _live." Remarked the lioness, still chewing.

Still slightly cautious of the lioness, Kazia stood at a distance, but soon edged closer as hunger got the better of her. The lioness eyed her silently, then stood up.

"You haven't eaten. I can tell. Here, have some, but leave some for my family too." She said, pointing her gaze at the land beyond the Pridelands.

After a short glance, Kazia slowly shuffled towards the meat, took a few bites, then, as she eyed the lioness, who seemed to be lost in thought, ate ravenously, but still left enough for the lioness' said family.

"Thanks." She murmured. As the lioness continued to stare into the distance and things got awkward, Kazia tried to strike up a conversation. "I'm Kazia, by the way."

"I know." Came the lioness's simple reply.

"How?"

"I have my ways." Replied the lioness simply, then lay down, though she was still tense, as if she expected an animal to appear any second.

"So…what's your name?" The lioness could tell that Kazia was getting bolder and more curious, but she just eyed her for a moment before lifting her gaze again.

"Do you _really _need to know?"

"Well, I-I…um…uh…"

"I'm keeping personal things to myself for now, thank you very much."

"Oh, ok…"

"Hm..." The lioness looked thoughtful for a few moments, before she spoke again. Kazia couldn't help noticing how pretty she looked, with that light, reddish-brown fur, and those striking purple-brown eyes. "How's it going at Pride Rock?"

"What do you mean?" asked Kazia with a quizzical look on her face.

"Same old, like, how many cubs are there?"

"Well, there's me, Arina, Chaka, Koda, Shana, Tiza and Zara, which makes seven. Two lionesses are pregnant though. Why?"

"Just curious." Muttered the lioness, then after more silence, she asked Kazia more details about her pride; who was in it, how many lionesses, their daily routine, and so forth. In return for Kazia's answers, she became more and more open to the little cub's questions, and answered most of them. Kazia found out that the lioness had a rogue family; A son about her age, though a bit older, and two sisters, though Kazia never found out what the lioness' name was.

"Don't you have a mate?" questioned Kazia.

At this, the lioness bent her head, and said, in a croaky yet blunt way; "He died. Not too long ago."

"Oh, I'm sorry…"

If Kazia had paid more attention, she would have noticed the lioness' eyes going moist and her teeth gritting together. She looked away from the lioness and noticed the sun getting lower.

"Oh dear, I better get going. It was nice talking to you. When will I see you again?"

"In two days. Same place." muttered the lioness, still avoiding looking at Kazia.

"Ok, then. I'll bring food again. Take care." The lioness nodded at this, and Kazia slowly trudged away.

"The name's Fuzaia, by the way."

This came unexpectedly and suddenly for Kazia, and she shot round to see the area behind her completely empty, and that the lioness had picked up the remaining meat and disappeared without a trace.

"Fuzaia…." She thought out loud after a few moments of staring, before turning away again. "That's a nice name."


End file.
